W11 Reflection

 I think I learned a lot this week.  I learned about the importance of work-life balance and how we can achieve it.  I have learned that it's important to set clear boundaries.  This includes defining when you are going to work and when you are going to have personal time.  This can also mean keeping work at work.  It's important to be present with family and not checking emails or taking calls outside of when you normally work.  I think that a lot of these situations can be avoided if we prioritize our most important tasks at the beginning of the day.  I also learned this week that it is just as important to learn how to say no.  If we overcommit, we can stretch ourselves too thin.  A good skill to learn is how to delegate.  Not only is work-life balance good for your family, but it's also good for your own mental health.  It helps you allocate quality time towards your family and friends, which can help you develop your meaningful relationships with others.

I have experienced this for myself.  I have worked potato harvest for the church farm in Washington.  It is a massive operation.  So big that it takes us 6 weeks to complete the harvest, and that's only one team.  If I understand right that is a much larger window than around here in eastern Idaho.  There I would work 90 hours a week.  It is safe to say that my work-life balance wasn't balanced.  I saw first hand how my at home life became non-existent.  In the short-term it was fine, but I can tell how that kind of lifestyle over a longer period of time isn't healthy.  That's what I learned this week!